Do You Criticize Other People?

We hear that you should not criticize other people. That doesn’t seem to stop anyone. People look down on others all the time saying things like “That person is fat” or “That person is lazy” or even “That person is a jerk for not picking up the phone when I call”.

It is so easy to criticize other people for doing something wrong and we do it all the time. But what about you? While you are criticizing other people someone else may be criticizing you and talking bad about your habits, appearance, or ignorance in a given area.

Jesus Christ once said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”

Nobody is perfect, not me, not you, not that random guy in the mall who you are judging. We all have faults and there are things we can improve upon. That is ok.

As I wrote in my article about overcoming perfectionism, sometimes things are more beautiful when they aren’t completely perfect. It is ok to have some imperfection in life as it helps you to relate to other people and adjust to a changing world.

Life is all about learning and growing. You don’t move forward by pointing out other people’s weaknesses, but by focusing on your own weaknesses and working to improve them.

What to Do If You Criticize Other People?

If you criticize other people the first thing to do is to stop criticizing. Stop worrying so much about other people’s weaknesses and start looking at yourself. Instead of wasting your time looking at what other people should do, spend that time looking at what you should do and how you can improve your own pitfalls.

You may not want to admit it, but we all have negative characteristics, there is no such thing as a perfect being. Looking for ways to improve upon yourself is really the only way to move forward and start your journey to a better life.

For example, I tend to spend most of my time reading and using my mind. But I’m really bad at getting exercise. It is very easy for me to spend hours working on the computer, hours reading a book and hours sitting down and talking with others. But when it comes to getting that heart beat racing I’ve always had problems.

Since not dying from a heart attack at the age of 35 is pretty important to me, so is exercising. And I have made some efforts to improve that part of my life. For the last year and a half I’ve walked for about 40 minutes a day when I could (when I wasn’t snowed in or something).

It has helped me a little, but now I think it is time to step it up and do something more intense which can help me see greater benefits with less time. Part of my reasoning here is that I know people my own age that run 5 or 8 miles a day and I feel like I can do a little more. After all, I am a little competitive =). But I also know that it can help me feel better and live longer in the long run.

I’ve decided to replace my 40 minute walk with a half hour of swimming laps each day. I love to swim; it exercises more parts of my body, and gives me a better cardiovascular workout than walking without being tough on the joints like the alternative, running.

I already know of a large pool at the local college and as soon as classes start again in a couple weeks I’ll start swimming regularly and see if it fits me better than walking. My point is, I know an area of life that I am weak at, but I am making an effort to turn it around and become stronger in it.

I’m already in a lot better shape than I was a year and a half ago and I know I will only continue to improve. I would rather spend my time looking at my own life and finding other ways to improve than to look at someone else’s life and find faults in them. It suits me better and helps me live a better, happier life in general.

We all have things we can improve upon, if we waste our time complaining about other people we lose sight of ourselves and that is never a good thing.

How to Find Your Own Faults

I’m sure you can find something that you can improve on if you look hard enough at yourself. But taking a deep hard look at yourself is not the only way to find your weaknesses, it may not even be the best way to do it. It is true that nobody knows us better than we do, but in all honesty, when it comes to talking about myself, I’m biased.

We all think that we are better than we actually are so sometimes it is best to look for a third party to help us see the truth.

If you are having a hard time trying to figure out where you can improve in life, why not ask someone close to you. I’m sure they will let you know their opinions. After all, we all love to criticize other people.

If you do ask someone, make sure that you listen to what they have to say. You may not like their answer or you may not agree with it. But as long as they are taking the time to talk to you make sure you take the time to hear them. You may just learn something.

Also remember that you can’t be perfect. There are always going to be areas that you are weak in. That is why I recommend creating and standing your ground in just a few areas that are important to you rather than trying to be the best at everything you do. I’d rather be an expert in a few areas of life than “just ok” at everything.

In short, don't spend so much time worrying about other people’s problems. If you can help them improve then good for you, but there is no sense complaining about someone and feeling your life with more negativity. Instead focus on areas in your life where you can improve and get moving.

Share :